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SUNY Oswego, moving to increase already substantial opportunities for student research and creative projects, has established an office to provide support and pique student interest in hands-on, faculty-mentored work.Read more

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Seven former standout athletes at SUNY Oswego joined the ranks of 82 other accomplished individuals who have been voted into the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame, forever solidifying themselves in the college’s athletic history. Read more

About Kristen Burke

Posts by Kristen Burke

As Thanksgiving Break approaches, I am eagerly counting down the days until I get to go home (for the first time since August) and relax for a few days. The hustle and bustle of this semester has been quite tiring at times, so I am really looking forward to being able to spend some quality time with my family and not with my notebooks.

I am excited to enjoy the always delicious traditional dinner with my family, the annual watching of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV, helping my Mom cook and the inevitable food comas.

Reflecting back on this year, I have a lot to be thankful for and would like to share a few with the Oswego community in hopes of hearing a few of yours as well!

I am thankful for:

Being able to expand my experience with an internship with the Public Affairs office

Being able to continue my education in the Public Relations field at Oswego

My friends for continuing to create fun memories

My parents for supporting me in all of my endeavors

My little brother for reminding me that even though I’m a sophomore in college, I will always be his older sister who annoys him

My boyfriend for always being there for me and being able to put a smile on my face

Being able to spend the holidays with my family

Please feel free to comment below and share what you are thankful for this year at Thanksgiving! I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Modeled after the very popular Humans of New York page, SUNY Oswego has a new page that’s getting some major attention.

Humans of SUNY Oswego is a photography post project on Facebook that aims to photograph students and briefly interview them for a photo caption to tell a story. The goal of the project is to raise awareness of the age old saying “everyone has a story to tell”.

I’ve been a fan of the HoNY page fan for a while and enjoy viewing the interesting photos that the photographer posts. Even better than the photos, are the short stories that the brief interviews tell. Regular people have spectacular stories of love, loss, dreams, war and everything in between.

I love the idea behind the project; to showcase that everyday passers-by on the street are all dealing with something or have been through something. It’s so easy to get caught up in our lives and problems and forget that the world is so much bigger than just yourself and your own daily struggles. These simple photos and brief interviews are often inspiring and thought provoking.

Being a Social Media intern with a love of photography, I wanted to take this idea and bring it to SUNY Oswego. There are over eight thousand students on campus and undoubtedly a lot of interesting stories to be told and heard. I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I get lost in my own little world when I’m walking across campus with my headphones in and music turned up loud. But imagine, if you truly looked around at everyone and thought about their lives, what they’ve been through or what they are currently dealing with. These thoughts make the world (or the campus) seem a lot bigger than just ourselves and our daily lives.

As one of the photojournalists for the Humans of SUNY Oswego project, I aim to take photos of interesting students and share a line or so that they have shared with me about themselves or their life. I will be posting these photos on the Facebook page.

If you, or someone you know has a story to tell and would like to be featured on the site, please contact me by sending the page a message or emailing me at kburke2@oswego.edu

Happy Halloween Oswego! Excitement is in the air (let’s just hope it doesn’t snow… who wants to freeze in their costume?). Halloween at Oswego and in college can be a very fun experience, especially for first year students. There are many things to do on campus to get in the holiday spirit!

On Halloween night, there is a Costume Party themed Open Mic in the café in Penfield. The event kicks off at 7pm and runs till 10:30pm. Wearing costumes is encouraged as there will be a costume contest! There will also be Pumpkin painting and FREE coffee! Students are encouraged to come out and enjoy some great talent and spooky fun!

The weekend also holds some Halloween themed fun! On Friday, November 1st, there will be a costume dance held by the Storyteller’s Guild. “The Dance in the Woods” will be held at 6pm in the Hewitt Union Ballroom. Also on Friday, the 3rd annual “Scalesbury Haunted House” is being held. The haunted house begins in Scales where patrons will sign up and wait to be pulled out of the party at which refreshments will be served and music will be played. They will go outside behind Scales and through the basement of Waterbury where they will be frightened and scared. At the end, attendees can choose to leave or go back to Scales and run through it again. It runs on November first from 8pm to 11pm.

If you’re looking for some off campus fun, look no farther than the Terror Trail. This popular attraction promises to be the most frightening and scariest Halloween show in Central New York. Located in Volney NY, “The Trail” provides entertainment and thrills for all ages and also offers food, fun, and Halloween novelties for kids, young adults, and families alike. For more information, call Phone: (315) 593-2999.

On Sunday, Oswego is proud to once again hold “Safe Trick or Treat”. Community members and their families will enjoy bringing their children to a Halloween party in the campus center and visiting the dorms to Trick or Treat from residents. Students should talk to their RA or RHD for more information on how to participate and earn community service!

Happy Halloween, Oswego! I hope everyone has a great, fun Halloween! Of course, please stay safe and respect the city community and do not tarnish the holiday for younger Oswegonians.

Oswego is excited to welcome Friends and Family! This weekend is Friends and Family weekend at SUNY Oswego and excitement is in the air! Families and students are excited to be reunited – for some students this may be the first time they have seen their family members since moving onto campus in August. Many stories about classes and making new friends will be told and many hugs will be given; but after the initial excitement passes, what else is there to do on campus?

Oswego proudly offers many activities this weekend to entertain all the visitors. Starting Friday, there will be tours of the new Rice Creek Field Station facility (located on Thompson Road) from 9 am to 5 pm. These tours will continue on Saturday 9 am to 3 pm. Also on Friday, there is a free art gallery in Tyler Hall from 11:30 am to 3 pm. Later on in the day, the Women’s Field Hockey is playing SUNY Oneonta at the South Athletic Fields at 4 pm. Also being held at 4 pm is a 3 Point Basketball contest in Lee Hall gym with on-site registration. Parents are welcomed to check in at the Welcome Center Desk in the Campus Center from 4pm to 8 pm – come pick up your registration materials and unwind after your travels in the hospitality area.

Looking for something to do Friday evening with your family? Support your peers and attend the Theatre Department’s presentation of “Fahrenheit 451”at 7:30 pm in Waterman Theatre (located in Tyler Hall). For tickets: http://tickets.oswego.edu or call SUNY Oswego Box Office: 315-312-2141. Also at 8pm, enjoy the Splash-In movie “Wreck-It Ralph” in Lee Hall Pool. Bring a swimsuit and enjoy watching a movie while in the pool!

Highlight events on Saturday include many sporting events! The swim and diving teams are competing with SUNY Oneonta at 1 pm in Laker hall and it is free and open to the public. The Women’s Field Hockey team will play SUNY New Paltz and it’s Senior Day! 1 pm at the South Athletic fields – free and open to the public. It is also Men’s Soccer Senior Day, 1pm at Laker Soccer field. The Men and Women’s Ice Hockey Showcases are also on Saturday. The Women are up at 3pm and the Men take the ice at 7pm.

Many times college students have a reputation of not being beneficial to their communities or active participants towards making a difference. However, I, along with the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity have set out to prove that this is simply not the case here at SUNY Oswego.

With the brothers of TKE, I have set out to create an event that is appealing and friendly for both the SUNY and City of Oswego communities. In addition to raising both awareness and funds for an amazing cause, the event serves to bridge the gap between both entities.

As a college student, it is important to get involved in any way you can, and use your skills to help others around you. We may feel secluded and as if we are not a part of the Oswego County community as a whole; but the SUNY campus is a huge and key part of the city in my opinion.

There are many volunteer opportunities available through the plethora of organizations on campus. One way to find out when these opportunities arise is to sign up to get emails from the Volunteer Opportunities list by going here. You can also find additional opportunities on the new Laker Life website.

Personally, I have seen firsthand the graciousness of members of the community when I have volunteered at events such as BucFest at Oswego High School or through programs such as Adopt-A- Grandparent. Our help and time truly means a lot to those in need.

It is easy in life, especially in college, to get sucked into the thought that we are in our own little world and nothing else matters. Volunteering and helping those in need is a great way to be reminded that the world is bigger than the problems we are all dealing with in our daily lives.

I have always had a passion for helping others and using my Public Relations talents and skills to promote events to raise money for good causes. Event planning has also been a way I have been able to help others. Working on Oswego Community Cares Day with TKE has been a pleasure and I look forward to the event!

It would be an honor to see a great turn out at this event, which is next Sunday, October 13th at The American Foundry (right behind Fajita Grill) from 4-6pm. Tickets are just $15 which includes a delicious Chicken BBQ dinner and raffle tickets. Amazing prizes will be up for grabs including a signed Macklemore CD as well as many gift cards from local establishments. Entertainment will be provided by Oswego student performers. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here or at the door the night of the event.

For more information, leave a comment below or email foretheecause@gmail.com